Last month, Muskoka Conservancy hosted the Annual General Meeting on Friday June 6, 2025, at the Utterson Community Hall. The Annual General Meeting is a great time to gather and recognize all that was accomplished in the previous year for Muskoka Conservancy. A huge thank you goes out to volunteers, board members, donors and sponsors for making conservation in Muskoka possible.
Muskoka Conservancy is proud to announce this year’s award recipients, recognized at their recent event.
Muskoka Conservancy is pleased to present the Wayland Drew Award to Margaret McLaren, in recognition of her outstanding environmental leadership. This award honours individuals who demonstrate a strong commitment to stewardship, conservation, environmental education, or raising awareness of Muskoka’s natural heritage.
Tom Forbes has been awarded the Michael Foster Photography Award for his exceptional talent behind the lens. His winning submission, a striking image of a dragonfly titled “Looking at You,” beautifully captures the wonder of the natural world.
Muskoka Conservancy also recognized Joanne Smith, who has served as a director since 2022 and will be retiring from the board this year. Joanne’s unwavering dedication to advancing our mission in Muskoka and supporting Indigenous acknowledgment has made a lasting and invaluable impact on our organization.
Finally, Muskoka Conservancy is excited to announce that the 2025 Muskoka Conservancy Bursary has been awarded to Cameron Smith of Huntsville High School. Cameron will be attending Trent University this fall to pursue a full-time degree in Conservation Biology.
This year we had the honour of having guest speaker Rebecca Kolarich of Environmental Defence. Rebecca presented on the importance of wetlands in Ontario and provided in-depth information on what can be done to help protect the wetlands of Ontario.
“It was so nice to meet people who have a deep love for nature. It was also such a great experience to learn about all that is being done in Muskoka for conservation.” -Taylor MacLean.
A special thank you goes out to volunteer Anne Bawa for organizing and providing delicious food and snacks at this year’s annual general meeting.
Muskoka Conservancy is thrilled with the outcome of all the progress made to conservation in Muskoka in 2024 and look forward to what they can accomplish in 2025!
